Dog Stabbing Law: Home office says no need for a change in the law

The home office has said that giving police dogs the same legal status as officers is “Unnecessary” and no special dog Stabbing law needs to be introduced.

A recent petition was set up to change the dog stabbing law after a Hertfordshire police dog and his handler were stabbed in Stevenage while chasing a suspect.

It was debated in Parliament on Monday after receiving the required 100,000 signatures in a single month.

However, the Home Office declared that people who attack animals can be jailed for 10 years so no new law is needed as there is already one in place.

Police dog Finn was recently stabbed in the head and chest and his handler PC Dave Wardell also received a hand injury in Stevenage, after they apprehended a suspect on the 5th October.

A 16-year-old male from London has been charged with the assault of the officer but only received criminal damage for the attack on the dog.

PD Finn had received a huge amount of toys and treats from fans

The critically injured police dog Finn received 4 hours of surgery and thankfully is now recovering at home with handler PC Dave Wardell.

The petition that was set up on the UK government’s petition site a couple of days after the attack requested that police dogs “be given protection that reflects their status if assaulted in the line of duty” it received just over 122,000 signatures.

The Home Office response was: “Under some circumstances assaults on support animals could be treated as criminal damage, allowing for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment”

“An additional offence dealing specifically with attacks on police animals may not result in more prosecutions or increased sentences.”

Finn’s Law Twitter campaigner Mark Tasker said: “The government’s response is not that surprising. They must reply to any petition that achieves 10,000 signatures.

“We had a very positive meeting with the Home Office before the weekend and we feel confident that the government are reviewing all options.

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